Chapter 28
As she approached the van on her return she noticed it instantly – there was a new message under the wiper blade. Dixie dashed over with renewed vigour despite being knackered. She pulled the note out and read it.
Dixie – Thank you for explaining your situation.
Whilst you are trespassing, I can see that you can’t simply drive away.
Therefore, I am happy to give you some leeway and allow you time to fix your van and trust that you will move on once you are able to.
I apologize if my previous correspondence came across as bullish.
Dixie reread it. The tone was definitely friendlier, although she wouldn’t go so far as to say warm.
But she did feel a sense of relief that she wasn’t about to be evicted any time soon.
She carefully folded up the note and put it in her pocket.
It wasn’t much but correspondence was always nice to receive.
And in an odd way it made her feel less alone.
Straight away she penned a reply:
Thank you for understanding. It is very much appreciated.
She decorated it with flowers before popping it under the wiper. At the same time she balanced a few walnuts, ones she’d bought at the service station, on the other wiper blade for Arnold.
Dixie got to work on the curtains because she had pledged to do that but also because she really wasn’t a morning person and the thought of being woken by sunlight piercing her eyeballs at dawn again wasn’t a pleasant one.
It was a long old job sewing by hand, but one thing she did have was time and she needed something to fill it.
It took her a while to set up her phone to film it as a timelapse but she’d read that followers liked to have varied content so it would be worth the effort.
She was starting to flag on curtain number two when a thump on the roof of the van made her jump and stab herself with the needle. ‘Ouch!’
As she sucked her sore finger she listened to the tiny footsteps scamper across the roof until Arnold’s front legs and then tummy appeared at the windscreen.
The squirrel slid down until she could reach a nut then retreated.
It was a simple thing but it was nice to watch Arnold keep returning until all the walnuts had been snaffled.
Dixie decided to take a break from sewing – she’d definitely earned one.
She came out from the van, which must have made Arnold jump, as she was sitting on the roof munching on a walnut.
The squirrel instantly started screeching and flapping her tail about.
Dixie darted away from the van. The last thing she needed was to be attacked and get a squirrel stuck in her hair.
‘The walnuts are from me,’ said Dixie but Arnold was still very cross.
‘Fine. I’m off for a walk.’ She left Arnold shouting squirrel abuse after her and went for a stroll.
Dixie loved how the sunlight dappled through the trees and cast patterns on the woodland floor.
And how pretty flowers were dotted around.
There hadn’t been any rain for a few days and the woods smelled different for it.
Gone was the earthy, damp smell, replaced by something fresher and slightly floral.
Dixie was careful where she walked because she’d been stung by nettles and scratched by brambles before in an area she now referred to as Prickly Patch.
Naming the different places made it feel more homely to her.
She wandered for a while, pointing out to herself the plants Ned had introduced her to.
There was no need to forage today because she had bought some pasta for tea from the services and a sad-looking salad.
Plus she still had some chocolate left over.
She reached the clearing and took a moment to enjoy the view.
She called this area Tidy Trees because it wasn’t the same as the dense woodland: the trees were different and smaller and almost in lines.
The wonky rows of trees drew her eyes across to the undulating hills in a patchwork of greens.
It really was very pretty. In the distance sheep were grazing.
She couldn’t see them well, just groups of white dots on the hillside.
But somehow it made her feel more alone.
Even the sheep had each other. She was about to turn back when she noticed movement at the base of a nearby tree.
It was a squirrel. Was it Arnold? It was hard to tell.
Dixie watched as the squirrel dug a hole and pulled something out.
She wondered if it was a nut it had buried earlier.
But the squirrel had a nibble and then quickly dropped whatever it was before bounding off to dig somewhere else.
Curiosity got to her and she went to investigate what the squirrel had discarded so disdainfully.
She crouched down and picked it up. It was covered in mud but she knew instantly what it was.
*
Back at the beach, Nora found Jay and Bruce playing tug of war with the bag the windbreak had come in.
She waved and saw Jay exchange the bag for a piece of chicken.
When she got closer, Bruce spotted her and got excited.
Dogs were lovely creatures – always so pleased to see you and consistently loyal, unlike some people.
Jay grabbed Bruce’s collar and hung on as the dog pulled him along the sand like a water-skier while at the same time bashing Jay’s groin with his tail.
Nora sped up to greet them both and received an enthusiastic welcome from Bruce.
‘You’re back sooner than I thought you’d be,’ said Jay cheerily, trying to avoid Bruce’s tail, which was now rhythmically bashing into his thigh. ‘How did it go with Mickey?’
‘Not great,’ said Nora. ‘He thought we were going back to his for afternoon delights.’
‘Not quite the long-term commitment you were looking for then?’
‘Ha ha. But at least I know I did the right thing the first time around by ending things. I just feel for the women who get sucked in.’
‘I fear there might be quite a few of those,’ said Jay. They exchanged knowing looks. ‘Oh well. Time for lunch,’ he added breezily as he unzipped his large cool bag and began decanting tasty offerings on to the rug. Bruce was glued to his every move.
‘I’ve probably dodged all sorts of nasties if he’s still sleeping around,’ said Nora, a little distracted, as she sat down.
‘Sticky sausage?’ he asked.
‘Most likely,’ said Nora, pulling a face.
‘Sticky honey and mustard cocktail sausages,’ said Jay, waving a Tupperware container under her nose.
‘Oh, sorry. Actually, no. I couldn’t face a sausage right now, but thanks.’
She’d had a lucky escape but somehow she felt a little down. Perhaps it was because she had fewer and fewer possibilities in her back catalogue. That was number eight ticked off. Liam was still pending. That left just one more potential match and she didn’t like her odds at all.
Nora ate a sandwich while Bruce inhaled some kibble then settled down to concentrate on chewing his roast-beef-flavoured indestructible bone – he loved a challenge.
After their picnic Jay did an excellent job of jollying her out of the doldrums with a game of badminton.
He’d avoided tennis because he thought Bruce would steal the ball.
It seemed a shuttlecock was equally worth pinching as the dog intercepted it a few times and ran off as far as his long lead would let him.
But the chicken treats were working because he came back every time to swap the shuttlecock.
They didn’t have a net, which was also causing some issues.
‘There’s no way that was over the net,’ said Jay, pointing at an imaginary line.
‘Let’s check with the digital umpire,’ said Nora, putting a finger to her ear as if receiving information. ‘Umpire says it was fine.’ She grinned at Jay, who shook his head.
Jay served and after a few returns Nora hit a drop shot. Jay dived for it and his racquet just connected and tipped the shuttlecock on to Nora’s side of the line.
‘I win!’ declared a puffed-out Jay.
‘No way! That was under the net, not over it.’
‘Hang on.’ Jay put his finger to his ear. ‘Digital umpire says … I’m the winner.’
‘But Bruce and I say you’re a cheater,’ said Nora, tickling Jay’s ribs and making him squirm.
He was the most ticklish person she’d ever met.
Bruce didn’t know what was going on but he was keen to join in, and Jay lying down was fair game so the dog piled on top.
Nora laughed until she had a stitch and was covered head to toe in sand.
It was getting warm so they decided a dip in the sea would be a good idea and would also help to keep Bruce cool. They stripped off and ran down the beach with Bruce barking at their heels. That was until their toes met the water and all three of them came to an abrupt halt.
‘Blimey, that’s like ice,’ said Jay, creeping backwards.
‘It’s not that bad,’ said Nora, although it certainly wasn’t warm.
Bruce licked the water and shook his head.
His expression said he’d definitely not tasted seawater before.
Nora reversed into the sea and tried to coax him in.
The dog looked over his shoulder at Jay.
‘Come on, you need to set an example,’ said Nora, as a gentle wave kissed her bum cheeks and made her suck in a breath.
‘You’re turning blue,’ said Jay. ‘And he’s got a fur coat on. I think I’ll give it a miss, thanks.’ He turned around to head back up the beach. Bruce was watching them both as if torn as to who to follow.
‘I thought you wanted to beef up and be an alpha male,’ said Nora, making Jay stop.
He turned and pouted at her. ‘I don’t think freezing off your unmentionables makes you an alpha.’
‘We need to stick together or it’ll confuse Bruce,’ said Nora, and the dog looked at her as she slipped her shoulders under the surface.
‘Fine. But if I get hypothermia I’m blaming you.
’ Jay took a deep breath and ran into the sea.
The expression on his face was a picture of shock as the water splashed up around him.
‘Argh!’ he yelled as it reached his swimming shorts and he dived into a wave with Bruce close behind him.
Jay quickly popped up. ‘Bloody hell, it’s freezing. ’
‘There’s a good boy,’ said Nora, as Bruce paddled towards her.
‘Thank you,’ said Jay.
‘I didn’t mean you, you fool,’ said Nora, starting to laugh.
The three of them splashed about for a bit until Bruce had had enough and swam to the shore where he had a big shake.
Nora joined him so he wouldn’t run off. They dug holes in the wet sand and watched them fill with water while Jay was swimming up and down like he was doing lengths at the swimming pool.
A toddler was happily filling his bucket and emptying it out again as his mother watched from nearby.
The similarity between Bruce and the toddler wasn’t lost on Nora.
She glanced up as Jay waded out of the water.
He pushed his wet black hair off his face and his torso glistened as he strode towards her.
It was quite reminiscent of the famous James Bond moment when Daniel Craig walked out of the sea in Casino Royale, only Jay wasn’t quite as ripped, but still very easy on the eye.
Nora was about to look away when Jay tripped over and face-planted the shallows.
‘Ow, that hurt,’ he said, attempting to get up as another wave engulfed him.
Jay scrambled upright between waves and began hobbling towards them, blood starting to trickle down his leg.
‘You’ve cut yourself,’ said Nora, pointing at his knee.
The toddler was watching and burst into tears. His mother marched over and scooped him up while glaring at Jay.
‘What did I do?’ whispered Jay to Nora as the screaming child was carried up the beach. They both looked down at his injured knee.
‘Ouch, that’s starting to smart now.’
Nora put an arm around his waist to help him and felt his muscles tense at her touch. ‘Come on, Alpha, let’s get a plaster on that.’
‘It had better be an Incredible Hulk one or I’m going to scream like that,’ said Jay, pointing after the toddler.